DanMurphey - Middle Ages Artifacts


Cannon	Leonardo da Vinci's Armored Car
1582 Cannon mounted on a carriage Used in warfare	Drawn in 1487 Described in his notes as, "Covered chariots, that are safe and cannot be assaulted; cars which fear no great numbers when breaking through the ranks of the enemy and its artillery. Behind them, the infantrymen shall follow, without fearing injury or other impediments".


Astrolabe	Nina (Caravel)
Scientific instrument used to find the position of celestial bodies while sailing or by astronomers Used in the Middle Ages Was replaced by the sextant	1492 Flagship on the voyage to the Americas Sailed by Christopher Columbus, one of three ships commissioned by Queen Isabella


Flying Machine	Johann Gutenberg
1505 Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci Hang glider Had success constructing and flying his glider Of several other machines Leonardo designed only the glider worked	Gutenberg invented the first printing press in the 1400's Paper and movable type form the Chinese gave him access to materials to print on The printing press saved time and cost of handmade books Less expensive and more available books helped people to learn to read and spread knowledge during the Renaissance


The Unicorn in Captivity	Medical Instruments (Left - Arrow Extractor, Right - Bullet Extractor)
1495-1505 One of seven in a series of tapestries Magical image of a unicorn believed to represent a happy marriage Made of wool and silk with silver and glided threads Can be seen in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art	1500's Arrows were removed by pushing the flesh aside with the two outer blade-like arms once the tip of the arrow was grasped with the scissor like tool. Bullets were removed once the expandable tip was able to pierce the bullet and secure it by screwing into the bullet.

	**Book of Hours 15th century third quarter St. Adrian. With sword, anvil and lion From Flemish Book of Hours, written in Latin and Dutch Whole page of parchment Would take an artist many days even months to illustrate The book of hours is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript Each book is unique in it's own way but all of them contain a collection of prayers and other religious themes Thousands of these books have survived and are in museums and private collections

	Suit of Gothic Armour** 15th Century German design, Suit of Armour Style has a slim angular design, cusping, fluting and a fan-shaped design Toe amour are sharply pointed to kick enemy Helm has narrow visor that would be difficult to get to the eyes Almost every part of the body is protected by 16 to 18 gauge steel held together with leather straps weight is 45 to 50 lbs In battle the suit is not difficult to move in because the weight is evenly distributed, it is easier to move in than a chain mail tunic